By Staff
Thomas 'Tom' G. Cronin, Jr., 99, of South Eighth Street, Kalamazoo and formerly of Niles, died at 8:45 p.m. Wednesday, July 9, 2008, at Alamo Nursing Home, Kalamazoo, following a brief illness.
Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Monday, July 14, at Saint Mark Catholic Church, Niles, with the Rev. Thomas King, C.S.C. of the church officiating.
Burial will be in South Colon Cemetery, Colon.
Friends may call from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. Monday at Halbritter Funeral Home in Niles. A flag presentation and Taps following the committal at the graveside by American Legion Post No. 454, Colon.
He was born on Feb. 11, 1909, in Chicago, Ill. to Thomas Greg Cronin, Sr. and Anna Wershey Cronin.
He lived in Niles for more than 60 years on Barron Lake Road and moved to Kalamazoo in 1994.
He retired in 1974 from Kawneer Company in Niles, where he began working after high school.
He was a member of Saint Mark Catholic Church, Niles, where he was a founding member.
Cronin was a veteran of Word War II, having served in the United States Army and was stationed in the Asiatic-Pacific Theater. He was a member of the American Legion Post No. 26 in Niles.
He was also a founding member of the Howard Tow ship Fire Department.
He was interested in family, church, photography, cars, farming and motorcycles.
On Sept 9, 1939, in Niles, he married Alice M. (Perry) Cronin, who died on Aug. 4, 1994.
He was also preceded in death by a sister, Annette Kenny and a brother, George Cronin.
Surviving family includes a daughter, MaryAnn Cronin of Kalamazoo; a sister, Lorraine Riley of Niles; four nephews, James B. Kenny of Montague, Patrick Riley of Cedarville, Daniel Kenny of Niles and Michael Cronin of Peoria, Ill. and five nieces, Sheila Murray of Barrington, Ill., Margaret Butler of Frederick, Md., Judith Cronin of Summit, N.J., Christine Riley of Niles and Marilyn Farrell of Colon.
Memorial contributions may be made to Saint Mark Catholic Church, Niles.